“Why?”
“To listen for the noise, see if I hear it.”
“But you said the problem is on your office phone.”
“I noticed it there but also my home phone.”
“I have no idea what you are saying.”
“When I call anyone in our group, from these phones, I hear the same crackling. The other calls are clear. I've made dozens of calls; it's always the same.”
“You hear it when you call me?”
“Remember when I called you the night before…Daniel?”
“Yes, you sounded drunk. You were rambling on about the weather or something.”
“I had a few, yes, but I was ‘rambling on’ as you say, because I didn’t want to say anything important. I heard it then, too.”
“What exactly are you saying?”
“Someone has bugged all our work and home phones.”
They had walked a few hundred yards. Neither one noticed the cab had left. William was trying to grasp everything and at that moment the gravity of their situation began to weigh on his psyche. Getting back to the office seemed unimportant. It was then he noticed the cab was gone.
“The cabbie left us.” He sounded distant.
Martin didn’t say anything. He knew how William's mind worked, the way he calculated probabilities, the way he could see both the big picture and the smallest detail.
William stopped and turned up his collar. He didn’t hate Martin as much now, and respected him even more. “My friend, let’s find a warm place, inside, to consider our next move. We should call a meeting…though using the phones…well, we need to move carefully.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Henry got into the office earlier than usual. He wasn’t sure he believed his new client. It looked like Daniel Kupton had killed himself. It seemed to Henry that Ms. Silverton might just be unable to accept the facts. Of course, he would give it his full attention before setting her straight.
Henry jotted a few ideas in his notebook, the first being to stop in and see Big Mike. If anything looked hinky, then Mike would know. The second item was to give his young friend Lawrence a call. Lawrence was one of three guys who had tailed him during his last case. It had come to blows. After Henry demonstrated that they weren’t as tough as they thought, he won them over with a few pitchers of beer. Afterward, they sort of gravitated towards Henry. As far as he knew, they mostly hung out on corners and smoked. He wasn’t sure, but he hoped he might talk Lawrence into helping him with the Frank Pimpkin case.
Henry called Mike’s number at work and gave him a ring. “Hey, this is Henry. Is Big Mike in yet?”
“Hey, Henry, great job on catching Mickey’s killers,” said the man who answered the phone.
Henry wasn’t sure who it was but played it neutral. “Thanks, buddy.”
“This isn’t Buddy, he's in at noon. John here.”
“Oh, sorry,” still having no idea who he was talking with, “I didn’t recognize the voice. My apologies.”
“Forgetaboutit, I don’t care. I'm not sure we have ever talked on the phone. It makes me sound weird. Oh and no, Big Mike hasn’t come in yet.”
“You mind if I ask you something, John?”
“Not at all...shoot.”
“You know the Kupton case? Any idea if they ruled on it or not?”
“I can’t say if it's closed, but it sure looks like suicide. Why do you ask?”
“I'm looking into it a little. I heard some scuttlebutt that there might be more to it.”
“I haven’t heard a thing. Sorry…hey, Big Mike just walked in. You mind holding?”
“Not at all, thanks.”
A moment later, Mike huffed, “Henry, you're in early. Celine cracking the whip?”
Henry laughed because it was true. “Yes, she is, but I came in because I woke up and couldn’t sleep.”
“Is it the Kupton case?”
“Yep.”
“I'm going over to the Woolworth just to ask around. You want to tag along?”
“Swing by and pick me up. Thanks.”
Henry hung up the phone and headed for the coffee pot, sitting sad and empty. Henry would not let this continue. He went down the hall and filled up the pitcher they kept by the pot. Bobby came out of his office and gave a wave but didn’t stop to chat. Bobby was the little man who rented office 309, in the Flatiron Building, to Henry. Bobby was most noted for talking really quickly, having trouble staying on one subject of conversation, and being generally excited about everything. He was incredibly annoying and rather likable, after a while. If asked, Henry would say that Bobby was an acquired taste. Celine loved him.
Henry started the coffee just as the phone rang. He figured Mike was calling back and casually answered, “Hello, buddy.”
“Uh…Hello, is this the Henry Wood Detective Agency?”
“Oh, yes, sorry, I thought it was someone else. This is Henry, how may I help you?”
There was some mumbling on the other end of the line, then the voice came back on. “I have a few questions I would like to ask you.” It wasn’t a pleasant sounding request. It was typical intimidation 101. Henry gave a sigh, already bored.
“You are welcome to ask me anything you like. I may not answer, though.”
“Listen, Mr. Wood…” said the voice as it rose in volume and then stopped. A new man's voice said, “I apologize for my partner. We have been up all night, and our nerves are a bit shot. We were wondering, hoping, if you will, that you might be able to tell us if you are investigating the Daniel Kupton…suicide and the Manhattan Six.”
Henry appreciated the new tone and changed his accordingly. “I understand what it's like to have a long night. Who did you say you were with?”
There was a pause. “I'm not at liberty to say.”
“You will forgive me if I'm skeptical. I'm not in the practice of discussing my cases or clients with anyone, let alone a complete stranger.“
There was an even longer pause. The voices on the other end started to argue among themselves. Henry thought they must really be tired to be so unprepared for the call. He almost felt sorry for them. “Mr. Wood, it's a matter of national security. We need to know what you know.”
Henry was curious. He couldn’t imagine that these voices had learned about his new case from Mike. “Listen, I have to go. I don’t know who you guys are or what this is about, but if what you say is true, then I might be able to be reasonable. Right now, I need to see some badges. In an hour or so, my secretary will be in. Call back, make an appointment and we can sit down and talk. I’m not making any promises, though.” With that, he hung up the phone, not waiting for a rebuttal.
Henry went down to the street to wait for Mike.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Mike and Henry arrived at the Woolworth building. They went around to the spot where Daniel Kupton had been discovered. Henry expected to see something, anything, but it was just sidewalk.
“It was an office on the twenty-third floor. Actually, it was a vacant office.” Mike said, reading from the file he had brought with him.
Henry shook his head. “What time did he jump?”
“A guy driving past saw the body. He pulled over and called it in. We haven’t had anyone come forward who was a witness. The call came in at 3:23 am.”
“Aren’t most jumpers more, well, spontaneous?”
“How do you know it wasn’t?”
Henry walked around a little looking up. “It seems odd to me that he would decide to kill himself in the middle of the night. What was he doing all day? Did he go out to have a little dinner and see a movie, then just wait until nobody was around and sneak into the Woolworth building? Don’t they have security?”
Mike could see where Henry was going. It did seem odd. “We actually don’t know what time he jumped. But I see your point. I doubt he jumped much before he was seen. How long could a body lie on the street unnoticed? Let’s go talk with security.”
They circled the building. Henry wanted to get the lay of the land. When they got back to the front door, they went to the security desk. Mike took out his new detective badge, and said, “I was wondering if we could ask you a few questions?”
The man behind the desk was in his late 50’s, had heavy jowls and a pretty good paunch on him. His hair was gray, but his eyes were still sharp. “Is this about the guy who jumped?”
“Yes, it is.”
“I wasn’t here. I work the day shift.”
“Who was on that night?”
“It was Oliver and Papa Joe and a couple of new guys, just started a few days before. I couldn’t tell you their names, but you should have them. I think someone sent over the list.”
“I'm sure they did. I like to ask for myself, be thorough, you know how it is.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“So, tell me what you have heard, the word around the building, if you will.”
“I suppose, but I couldn’t say how much is accurate. It sure looks like suicide. This is a secure building at night, though, and nobody knows how he got up to twenty-three. You see, that whole floor was supposed to be secure. There’s a group called Colberson, Iverson and Abrams, that has been there for about three months. They do some sort of consulting with companies. I don’t know about what because they have their own security desk on the floor and we’re to refer anyone to them. Well, that was during business hours. If it's after 5:00, we called up, and they came down to meet the person. That doesn’t happen very often.”
“They have their own security? You get to know any of the guys?”
“Nope, not a one. They aren’t very sociable. They never even say so much as a hello when they are coming or goin.”
“So nobody knows how Daniel Kupton got up there?”
“Who?”
“The dead guy.”
“Oh. Nope. Well, I haven’t heard anything…but…”
“What?”
“I know Oliver and Papa Joe; they are aces, take their jobs seriously. The other guys, well, they are young kids really. I heard Oliver and Papa Joe were making the rounds, floor by floor, and the other guys were watching the desk. After about 8:00 it's pretty darn slow around here. Most nights, we don’t see any people after the night janitors leave, which is around 11:00. The log says nobody came in after 11:00, and I'm sure that is what the new guys say, and maybe it is true….”
“Listen, pal, I'm not looking to get anyone in trouble. I won't say who I heard it from. We're just talking, nothing official, you understand?”
Henry was impressed with how quickly Mike had gone from beat cop to detective. He was likable but his sense of people and how they felt and what they thought, made him a natural.
“Well, just between the three of us…I came in around midnight about a week before the…what’s his name?”
“Daniel Kupton.”
“A week before Daniel Kupton did the swan dive, I found both of them sound asleep at the desk. I had bought my wife an anniversary present and left it in my locker, so she wouldn’t find out. I came in after bowling league to pick it up. I figured I'd give it to her in the morning, you know, make her day. I almost had to shout to wake them up. I didn’t say nothing to nobody 'cause they ain't bad guys. I didn’t want them to get in hot water. But I ain’t going to lie to no detective, either.”
Mike leaned over. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“It's Archie.”
“Archie, I appreciate it. You’ve been a great help. When I talk to those two, I'll keep your name out of it.” He stuck out his hand. Archie looked relieved and shook Mike's hand.
“You mind taking us up to twenty-three. Show us around.”
“I’m sure their security guys would be happy to give you the tour.”
“If it's all the same, I think I would rather have someone I trust doing it.”
Mike had a deft touch. He knew the right words and how to slide them out casually. The look in Archie’s eyes told the story. Mike had a new friend.
“Oh, this is my friend, Henry. He isn’t on the force, but he has a good eye for detail and said he would help me look over the place. You mind if he comes along?”
“Oh, heck, no. You give me a minute to get someone down here to cover the desk, and I'll take you right up. Those guys up there won’t give us any trouble. They know I got seniority and can go wherever I please, even their little kingdom.”
The elevator made the familiar ding as they arrived. Archie had used his key to express the ride so they wouldn’t have anyone getting on from other floors. When the doors opened Archie stepped out with Mike and Henry behind him.
Archie faltered, “Damn…where did they go?”
CHAPTER NINE
The three of them were quiet. It was obvious where the security desk had been. Now it was all gone. Slowly, they each wandered off in different directions. The spaces seemed unnaturally large without any furniture. The walls had some holes in them from where pictures had hung, and there were some cigarette butts in one corner.
When they had covered every room, they met back by the spot where the security desk had been. Archie, shaking his head, said, “I don’t know what to tell you fellas. They are just gone.”